Abstract

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a term increasingly being used by most clinicians and is synonymous with drug-induced hepatotoxicity. A succinct definition of a DILI is 'a liver injury induced by a drug or herbal medicine resulting in liver test abnormalities or liver dysfunction with a reasonable exclusion of other potential aetiologies'. DILIs are a recognised and clinically significant cause of acute, acute-on-chronic and, less commonly, chronic liver disease. The vast majority are idiosyncratic reactions in contrast to the less common dose-dependent predictable injury to drugs, such as paracetamol in overdose.